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    AKEMI Japanese Restaurant

    3.8 (425 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    AKEMI JAPANESE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - AKEMI Japanese Restaurant

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    kim d.

    One of my favorite places in Berkeley--been going here for the last 4 years, and the quality of fish has never let me down! My go-to roll is the truffle toro (although I'm not too sure of the official name) and the negihama (yellowtail roll)! The rice is always perfectly cooked, and the fish is top tier! The ambiance is very moody, so it's perfect for a date night, although I love stopping by casually for a quick bite. Service is always welcoming and I've been a regular for the longest time! Beautiful decor and amazing bites!

    Okonomiyaki
    Chris N.

    Upscale Japanese restaurant in North Berkeley. They have Okonomiyaki here but not quite what I used to get at this restaurant in Japantown that closed a few years ago. It would also be nice to expand on the protein offerings as well. I ordered beef teriyaki plate which I asked staff to make sure it was medium well but what I got was a pretty bloody medium. Although we got seated pretty quickly, the staff never really checked up on us much. Not really worth the price for an upscale restaurant they serves mediocre Japanese cuisine. 2.5 stars for me.

    Sushi Menu 7/25
    Abby C.

    I really enjoyed the atmosphere this restaurant provided. I was quite impressed with the sleek interior, the wood tables, and the lighting. The restaurant felt very ambient, even at noon. While there were only two tables at lunch, the service was quite slow. My friend and I waited quite a while for the Bento box and a couple rolls. The red dragon roll was fantastic, I enjoyed the quality of the tuna and the spice. I also ordered the 49er roll and I was very pleased to find the crab was not imitation crab. I tasted some of the wagyu beef my friend got in her bento and it was so tender and flavorful. I'm quite surprised at the generous portions of tempura, beef, and salad the bento had. I think it was well worth.

    Kathy V.

    Anyone say sushi? I can tell you I've had Akemi on my list for years! Located off Solano Ave in Albany/Berkeley. Sometimes it's hard to find good quality sushi and Akemi filled my needs. Agadashi Roasted squid Spicy edamame Chirashi bowl Ebi Toro roll Full and satisfied They also have Omakase for 100.00 Winning

    Giant's Roll
    Ronna I.

    This was a good choice for lunch. We shared a few sushi rolls in a nice and relaxing atmosphere with friendly service. We had the Crunchy Tuna Roll, Rainbow Roll, and the Giant's Roll. We appreciated that not a lot of sauce was used. Sometimes, the sauce can be too much and no other flavors come through. The fish was tender and its flavor subtle.

    Chicken Karaage
    Naima C.

    Went here to celebrate a friends birthday, I had never been in this area of Berkeley but it is located in a very cute spot. The restaurant is very lowkey and the restaurant provides a good atmosphere that welcome people. The food was delicious and everything tasted fresh and had good portions! I recommend adding the strawberry yuzu spritzer! Really good! My friends tried the lobster ramen and it was a really good size of lobster that came with the food and the broth had a lot of great flavors. Overall nice spot and I am happy to have discovered this new area.

    Service is great quick and the food quality is amazing, clean and organized. The place is well kept and aesthetically pleasing. Staff was very friendly!

    Menu (2/2) as of 1/19/25
    Winston L.

    3.5 Stars. Nothing really stood out for us. Sushi flavor and ingredient quality was there, albeit at the expense of sushi size. Ramen was good. Overall decor was quite nice

    Long sushi bar
    Patricia W.

    I booked the reservation on the past Sunday at 6 pm, via Open Table. When I called to make the appointment last Saturday, the receptionist was unable to take my reservation because it was very busy at the restaurant, she told me to make the appointment online or call an hour later. I had to read through the website to find it on the "About" section mentioned about make the reservartion via Open Table. I wish the OpenTable link could add to the front page of the website to make it easier for booking. Nice ambiance, like the salvaged wood for the tables and seats at the reception and bar are. We sat near the kitchen and facing the long sushi bar. There were a fruit fly over our table before our dinner, glad it was gone when the food served. The sake samplers were best for those who like to try different sake but don't have to order the whole bottle. My husband and I shared the Akemi sampler, it was only $18 for three kinds of sake. We shared the following food from the menu: Chicken Karaage, California rolls with real crab meat, sushi nigiri of Uni ($23), Hamachi yellow tail, Blue Fin Toro fatty tuna, Tai red snapper. Tonkotsu combo with mixed Tempura, Ikayaki grilled whole squid. I would stick to the sushi, good quality fish was fresh and delicious, good thickness of the fish slices, the sushi rice could be better because it was a bit mushy. The combo was a good value. The grilled whole squid was a disappointment, it was skinny and did not look and tasted like grilled (please refer to the grilled Hokkaido squid at Ippuku, I could encore on it). No complaint on the service, it was decent overall.

    Just opened for this cold eve.

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    5 months ago

    Been here a few times for date nights and they never disappoint. This js probably my favorite spot for spinach gomae

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    11 months ago

    I really love their food, and it's not too noisy there. The prices are okay, but the sushi is really good, makes you want to buy more!

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    7 months ago

    Food is excellent. Fish was fresh and rolls were well made. However, they need to work on their service...

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    AKEMI Japanese Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - AKEMI Japanese Restaurant

    Is this AYCE?

    We do not offer AYCE - All You Can Eat. Akemi Japanese Restaurant offers A La Carte dishes from the kitchen, as well as combination plates, and ramen options. We also offer A La Carte items from our sushi bar (Sashimi, Nigiri, Maki rolls, and full… Read more

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    Asaka Sushi & Bar

    Asaka Sushi & Bar

    4.5(193 reviews)
    0.7 miBerkeley Hills
    $$

    I stopped by here for a quick bite as I'm heading to the city. The parking was a little bit of a…read morehassle, but that was to be expected. The restaurant itself was very cute & cozy. Our waitress was quick & greeted us with a smile & brought waters. The menu had a lot of options to choose from, so it wasn't hard for us to find something we wanted to try. We decided on the tempura mix, Mango Crunchy Roll, & the Hopkins roll. The tempura was good, just wish we ordered it a little bit more crispy. When it came to the rolls, both were amazing! They were huge & definitely got us full pretty quick. Our waitress made sure to check in on us during our visit & kept our waters filled. For dessert, we got the mochi ice cream. You can never go wrong with mochi ice cream as dessert(; overall, we had a great meal! The service was nice, restaurant was clean, & food was great. I'll definitely stop by if I'm ever in the area again.

    Incredibly mediocre Japanese food. My husband and I both got bentos and a sushi roll. In my…read morehusband's bento, he got beef teriyaki, which came basically raw in the middle. We asked our server if that was normal, and she just flippantly told us that was how it was supposed to be. Luckily, there was no food poisoning afterwards, but the taste was definitely not as expected - think raw, slightly seared on the outside beef slices. My tempera was very thick, the tempura batter they used wasn't right. Usually, it should be nice and light. The fried sushi roll was fine. They do have a massive list of rolls - see my photo below. Everything was fine, I would probably grade it at slightly worse than a supermarket Japanese bento/sushi roll.

    Photos
    Asaka Sushi & Bar - Inside dining area is nice

    Inside dining area is nice

    Asaka Sushi & Bar - Yummy sesame dressing and miso soup

    Yummy sesame dressing and miso soup

    Asaka Sushi & Bar - Large Sapporo

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    Large Sapporo

    Butterfish Sushi

    Butterfish Sushi

    4.5(216 reviews)
    1.7 miWest Berkeley
    $$$
    Family-owned & operated
    Locally owned & operated

    Absolutely loved both visits to this terrific restaurant, and it's definitely top five now -- of…read morethe hundreds I've been to The service was good, but the creativity and quality of the dishes is wonderful. The fish was very good and the combination of flavors they put together are what really makes this place special. The style and decorations are also really nice, and help you feel how special this place is.

    Butterfish is not your average sushi restaurant. In the two visits I've made, I have not been…read moredisappointed once by any of their dishes. The sashimi and fish really are as buttery as their name -- it is unlike anything I've ever tasted! My favorite has to be the Kurodai Experience, an optional addition to the omakase plate priced at $69 per person. Intricately cut and carved from the belly of the Black Sea bream, each piece is incredibly soft but still reserves a bite in texture. There's a reason why this item is called an "experience," as it's not *just* a sashimi dish. Should they have any left in their inventory, please make sure to give this a try! Last but not least, the staff are amazing. Even in the midst of their busiest hours, the waiters and waitresses are so friendly and accommodating to all of their customers. Paired with the delicious food and ambiance, Butterfish Sushi easily cements itself as one of the most memorable omakase experiences I've had in Berkeley.

    Photos
    Butterfish Sushi
    Butterfish Sushi
    Butterfish Sushi

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    Tane Vegan Izakaya - Point Reyes

    Tane Vegan Izakaya

    4.5(441 reviews)
    1.5 miDowntown Berkeley
    $$

    Wow wow wow! I didn't think it could be done but this place has perfect vegan Japanese food! It's…read morehard to get in so make sure to make a reservation. Pacifica Roll (10/5 stars) - the best thing we ate, perfect creation of flavors that don't overwhelm each other, it's perfectly savory Poke Salad (5/5) - does it tastes like fish? No. But it's a great combination of textures, you have the chewy king oyster mushrooms and soft fried tofu, the crunch of the veggies and the cashew dressing is addicting Da Bao (5/5) - I didn't like the vegan spam alone (I personally like this other brand more) but here they paired it well with veggies and plum wine sauce that makes it work. The vegan spam here is too smokey for my tastes but together it's good. Roasted Garlic Miso Ramen (2/5) - Honestly, it was the only not good thing we had. The broth was neither garlicky or miso-y. It was very mushroomy. It was all one could taste. The spam did not fit with the ramen and was very jarring to taste in the ramen. Yuzu Matcha (5/5) - It's sour but not too sour. Like it wakes you up witout making your face pucker. Absolutely cannot wait to come back!

    First of all, I eat meat. And I love sushi. So I was like..,uh vegan sushi? But tbh it was good…read moreasf! I ordered the Ewa roll and Point Reyes and they were both really Flavorful and filling! I was like..there's no fish in this?! Word?! Idk how they did it but it tasted like seafood. It's a quiet little place without a lot of seating, so consider making a reservation!

    Photos
    Tane Vegan Izakaya - Photo 4: Interior

    Photo 4: Interior

    Tane Vegan Izakaya - Left roll - Point Reyes (GF) Right roll - The Wedge (GF) deep fried

    Left roll - Point Reyes (GF) Right roll - The Wedge (GF) deep fried

    Tane Vegan Izakaya - Spicy tofu roll

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    Spicy tofu roll

    AKEMI Japanese Restaurant - japanese - Updated May 2026

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